Too many are still dying
But have these “unprecedented acts” actually achieved anything? When asked by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a spokeswoman said the mass deaths of manatees were “an ongoing event.” The current manatee mortality statistics are enough from January 1, 2022 to December 2, 2022. In that period, 760 manatees have died — fewer than the year before, but still a significant amount. Would it have been worse without the additional feeding? “This is the subject of ongoing investigations,” the authority said.
The quick fix that many people in Florida are longing for probably won’t exist. That’s how Quinton White, director of the Marine Research Institute at the University of Jacksonville, sees it. The marine biologist has been researching manatees for 35 years and has participated in several censuses. “Everybody loves these animals here,” he says. »You are ugly and yet pretty, super sweet and very charismatic.« Nevertheless, it is not easy to ensure your continued existence. “We’re dealing with a very complex problem here. It will take years for the stocks to recover.« In addition to cold water and a lack of food, sea plastic causes major problems for the manatees: »They eat it every day, and we cannot yet predict how this will affect the long term«, explains White . »There is no overnight solution.«
© Steve Przybilla (detail)
Who is who? | In his notebook, environmentalist Wayne Hartley meticulously lists all the characteristics of manatees at Blue Spring State Park. Shipwreck scars are often the most important distinguishing feature.
However, he believes that the feeding campaign has already improved the situation. At least a bit. “The authorities did a good job there. They even threw the food out behind a tarpaulin so the manatees couldn’t see the people.” In this way, the animal rights activists wanted to prevent the manatees from becoming too imprinted on people – and from more boating accidents in the future. Because while most manatees died of malnutrition in the winter months, boat accidents were again the most common cause of death from July to September 2022. That goes from the Autopsy statistics der Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hervor.
There are no plans to feed the animals again in 2022. White anticipates that the existing seaweed will be sufficient this winter. “There just aren’t that many animals anymore. That’s why they have to share less food,” says the marine biologist. That makes the experts cautiously optimistic – even if the decline in the animals is of course by no means a reason to be happy. “When I started my research 35 years ago, the manatee was almost extinct,” White recalls. Thanks to numerous environmental initiatives, better education and larger protection zones, the population has developed unexpectedly well. “Why shouldn’t we succeed in this turning point again?”
More people, fewer manatees
Environmentalist Wayne Hartley is also hoping that the manatees will prove resilient once again. “The more people, the fewer manatees,” is his calculation. Visitors are also allowed to swim, dive, fish and paddle in the Blue Spring Conservation Area – there are only a few off-limits areas reserved for manatees and researchers like him. Nevertheless, the warm water of the springs still offers many manatees a safe haven. “We have more than 800 manatees here,” says Wayne. Unfortunately, the cute little animals are not the smartest of creatures: “Some of them froze to death a few meters from a power plant that heated the water in the lagoon. They just didn’t know where the warm area was.”
© Steve Przybilla (detail)
“Manatee Sanctuary. No swimming behind the barrier.« | Some areas at Blue Spring State Park in Florida are reserved for manatees and researchers.
The longer the 79-year-old paddles through the warm, humid state park, the more he becomes an attraction himself. From the shore, tourists take photos, not just of him: they set up tripods to best capture the colossal marine mammals. But manatees don’t show up – and that’s a good sign. “It’s not cold enough on the East Coast for them to have to swim here,” says Hartley.